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            ]]]    ]]]   ]]] ]]]   ]]] ]]]   ]]]    ]]]      No. 95002
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CSS Today Editorial Board                             csstoday@iastate.edu
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In This Issue


1995: A Year of Awakening Conscience for Our CSS?


By Chen Shizhong/UC San Diego CSST 95002

New Year is a time of hopeful. The hope for a better future is one of the most basic element of humanity, as exemplified by the immortal declaration of "I have a dream" by Martin Luther King.

However, when I look at the whole year ahead of us, I have to confess that I have a fear. In fact, I have had this fear for the past two years, it is just that the year of 1994 is more frightening.

So what is so alarming about 1994? Many things in many aspects. The 1994 marks another year of 10% plus growth in the Chinese economy, however, the inflation exceeds 20%; The central government is tightening down on the control over provincial government (Jiang Chunyun's "promotion" to Beijing is a testing case, and he dared not to resist. It is clear that Jiang Zemin is gambling--before Deng Xiaoping dies--to test his power.); the shortage of grain has hit a number of regions, and threatening to become a crisis; The Three Gorge Dam construction has started. 1994 also exposed the problem of chaos and lawlessness in the country. 32 people, including 24 tourists, were robbed and murdered in Thousand Island Lake; Armed soldier shoot scores of people on the open street of Beijing; Tragic fire incidents happened in a number of cities; Chinese athletes were found to be using prohibited drugs. The lawlessness starts from the highest level of government in their escalated persecution of dissidents. The heaviest sentencing was handed down to the largest number of dissidents since 1989; Most of the dissidents were harassed; Wang Dan's life was even under threat, and he had to take a hide; This trample of law reached its abominable extent when the authority ransacked Prof. Liu Zaifu's home in Beijing on Dec. 27, 1994, just before Prof. Liu's wife went back. Not unrelated to all of the above, China and the U.S.A is on a blink of trade war, triggered by debates over intellectual copyright. I am sure different people will read these facts differently, but to me, 1994 is a year of ruthless, lawless, politically and economically turbulent, and leaves us with worrisome hidden peril.

Someone, or a large number of people, will say: the economy is still booming, and that will take care of everything, what is the worry? I remember it was at the end of 1992, when the news of Shenzhen stock turmoil broke out, that my fear started to seed, even though in the same year I also wrote an essay on peaceful evolution to discuss the significance of economic reform. I take for granted that all of us wish China a peaceful transition, i.e., "peaceful evolution". To different people, however, there are really three different definitions of the term "peaceful evolution", and they are concerned with, respectively, 1, the peaceful transfer of power to certain people, 2, the peaceful change of the government, and 3, the peaceful change of social system. I care the last one the most. If the economic reform in its process transforms the ownership system , then it is a part of the peaceful evolution. In fact, the privatization of ownership has been the essence of the three stages of the economic reform (the third stage has yet to come). Such a major change will inevitably bring impact to the society, and whether this impact be a peaceful one or not will depend on many other factors. The safeguard of social justice and the establishment of new business norm, rules and laws are two of the most important things. From the Shenzhen stock incident, I felt it was exactly those two factors that were missing, and the situation has been getting worse and worse. An additional concern of mine is the reality of the China economy, the real growth of the economy. If the the soap bubble explodes, the impact will also be unimaginable. That is why the problem of factory work is the number one headache of CCP now.

What do all these have to do with us CSS in the US? If we observe carefully, we find that the sentiment of the CSS is more or less follow that of our fellow Chinese in China, and in turn, how the CSS think here reflect to certain degree how people feel there. Ask ourselves honestly, we will see that we don't really care about right or wrong, justice or injustice, and that is probably what the people in the country feel. Zhang Zhi-Dong wrote in his last poem, the conscience is easy to be confused in doom days (Luan 4 Shi 4 Ren 2 Xin 1 Yi 4 Guai 1 Li 2). This describe nowadays pretty accurate. The diminishing of social justice will generate tension within the society, and it should be common sense that a society can not tolerate injustice for too long before the tension becomes explosive. What can we CSS do? Unfortunately, not very much. However, the least we can do is to take up the responsibilities of what we are: the intellectuals in its literal sense. We have to wake our conscience and start to know and speak out what is right and wrong and what is justice and injustice. Eventually, the society of China will yearn for justice, I hope we at least can say at that time that we have believed in and worked for this day.

(The author is a research fellow in biology and formal IFCSS vice president)


Looking forward to a Peaceful Year of Pig


By OUYANG Ming/Acadia University CSST 95002

In the year of dog (1994) I had chances to visit the three great origins of human civilization, Britain in May, China in June, and France in December. I was shocked and moved by what I saw in the three countries.

The constitutional monarchy in Britain is probably the best example to demonstrate how can human adjust their society peacefully, face challenges of future without cut history, accept new without destroy the old. In the terminology of economics, Britain minimized the "transaction costs" in its modernization process. How wise British people are!

When I sat in Notre Dame of Paris for Christmas Eve service, I was moved by the power of religion. Religion not only helps a society to keep different people living together in harmony, as in France today, but also enables history to ease many human tragedies, so France will never experience bloody revolution again.

The high rate of the economic growth in China was impressive. However, does the significant achievements in economic development ensure our optimism on China's future? Is there something missing in China? Nobody can deny that Chinese are a group of norm people who are no better and no worse than any other people in the world. Chinese have learned many useful things from the rest of the world and applied them into their daily life, such as "gravitation", "computerization", and "marketlization". But, should China learn some other valuable things from Britain and France as well? Pig is a symbol of peace and stability. For an ordinary person like myself, a pig is much better than a dragon. As the pig year coming, I sincerely hope that all changes in China, economic and noneconomic, will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

(The author is an assistant professor in economics)


Another Year for CSSA and Its Constituents in UCLA


By YU Hongjian/UCLA CSST 95002

Since we picked up the work for Chinese Student & Scholars Association at UCLA, we have organized several events, including 1995 New Year Party which involved CSSA from most universities in Southern California. This term's CSSA-UCLA executive committee features young, energetic, enthusiastic, and creative. These qualities ensured all the successes we have had.

In working for the CSSA, we all feel the change in the CSS community. First, CSS are more open. This new openness is expressed as that more CSS would like to be involved in social activities. Certainly, being in Los Angeles gives CSS great advantages. Well-established local Chinese community provides great opportunity. It serves as a bridge for CSS to American main stream society.

Secondly, CSS pay more attention to improve the quality of their life. More and more people are interested in business opportunities, investing in children's education and personal entertainment. This reflects that many CSS start to settle in this society.

These changes show that CSS become more diverse and mean that CSSA has to adjust its way of operation. CSSA will no longer be an umbrella which cover the interest of all CSS. We are helping CSSA-UCLA become more a support role than a major player. One of our main task is to help people with common interest to organize and operate their own clubs. CSSA provides coordination and sometimes, financial support. Some of our clubs are not active, some may disappear, but some are flourishing.

Another task we think all the CSS organizations are facing is, in the CSS community, to increase the sense of serving and appreciation. People who work for CSSA are volunteers. They are giving their time and efforts for the well being of CSS community. However, this is not realized by all the people who benefit. Some have sense of entitlement: They should have a piece of anything which is under the name of CSS. The community of CSS will never be strong until this ill mentality changes.

(The author is the president of Chinese Students & Scholars Association)


Big Ten Events of IFCSS in 1994


By Bill Amann CSST 95002 Translated by DONG Jian/CSS Today

[No.1] LUO Ning/LIU Chengyan was elected as the IFCSS the 6th president/ vice president defeating XING Zheng/LIU Yuhe.

The IFCSS 6th election not only defeated the attempt of Zi(4) Min(2) Dang(3) lead by WANG Bingzhang, but also marked the first ever the IFCSS "moderates" wing won the CSS majority and atopped the IFCSS "power". It is worth to mention that LL well utilized the internet media to propagate their programs and won the final election, and this played a good role to practice the democratic principles among CSS.

[No.2] Cooperated efforts promoted delink of "human-rights" conditions from the "the most favored nations (MFN)" trade amendments towards China.

Since June 4th, 1989, the MFN has been the focus of debate between the D- fighters and the pro-trade-fighters, each holding some sound reasons. In 1994, the change of international macro-environment, the testimony of Mr. SHI Heping on the US house hearing, and the radical hunger strike by LIN Changsheng, promoted the event from different angles. CCP claims this is the top victory of China's international diplomacy.

[No.3] The propagation of the open letter from IFCSS Finance Investigation Committee.

In order to strengthen the role of finance regulations, the Finance Investigation Committee of the 5th IFCSS council decided to make it a routine to review the IFCSS finance status and the management job done by HQ. However, due to the non-cooperative attitude of then IFCSS President LIN Changsheng, the IT had no choice but to open everything to the public, hoping to get the matter cleared with the pressure from the public. But owing to some pitfalls in the language used in the open letter, it was taken advantage of, and made use of, by some anonymous critics. This created a negative image for IFCSS and deepened the differences among different IFCSS fractions.

[No.4] Connie Chung of CBS was forced to make an public apology on the air under the pressure from CSS and other Chinese-American groups.

On the May 19, 1994, Connie Chung of CBS biasly implied that mass CSS could be (turned into) CCP spies ("CHEN-DI YU" or "the sunk fish"). To protect the overseas CSS from such an unwarranted allegation, the CBS-IC lead by HUANG Lin organized a nation-wide protest including a massive signature campaign of a open letters to CBS. Aided by research results from their hard work and effective communications, Connie Chung of CBS finally apoogized on the air on October 21, 1994.

[No.5] The 360 hours hunger strike by the 5th IFCSS president LIN Changsheng in front of White House claiming to aim at adding the "human rights" conditions on the US MFN amendments.

This rashly and radical action was the first of such in CSS history, which greatly damaged the image of IFCSS in CSS, and shadowed IFCSS as a radical organization. The 5th IFCSS council passed a resolution ordering LIN to withdraw from the hunger strike site. LIN did but kept his hunger strike until June 4.

[No.6] "CCP Caps" flying all over.

Shortly after the victory of CBS-IC, the old CCC member LU Wenhe (pro-Taiwan) used all his sort, together with XIN Ku (current IFCSS council member) and XING Zheng (once CCC coordinator), blamed HUANG Lin as "CCP member" but provided no evidence. Within one month of the accusation, conservative hard-liner QI Jusheng (current IFCSS council member) followed up the step to accuse LI Chenjian (current IFCSS V Club chair, the 4th IFCSS council member and former Pudue CSS organization president) as "CCP member", and tried hard to dig out "evidence".

[No.7] The 5th IFCSS president LIN Changsheng made a secret trip to Beijing, tried to strive to qualify for the "people's delegate" of PRC Congress.

IFCSS round table meeting deem this action as "reckless", "without careful thinking", "lack of thinking on overall situation as a whole". The trip did not gain expected results but added an extra financial burden to the IFCSS as well as impedimenta for other exchange projects of IFCSS. LIN made a self-criticism.

[No.8] The 5th IFCSS vice president SHI Heping testified on the US House hearing on China MFN issue, supporting the "human rights" conditions.

Mr. SHI's testimony was not discussed, and was disagreed upon by majority CSS. Therefore it could not represent the will of the vast majority CSS. The "pro-trade" fighters sharply criticized the testimony through internet discussion groups and other channels. The public opinion poll showed that the "trade" fraction won the majority CSS.

[No.9] The 6th IFCSS council passed a resolution to close the IFCSS HQ's "mouth piece" CSS Today.

There are as many as two thirds (2/3) people in the 6th IFCSS council coming from radical camp. The main reason for CSS Today to draw such fire was because it carried some black humors and articles objecting throwing "CCP Cap" around. The action of the "resolution" was believed to control HQ's "mouth piece".

[No.10] Current IFCSS HQ office manager YANG Jie visited the PRC Embassy

This is the first of such IFCSS officials visit to PRC Embassy/Consulate. It is said Mr. YANG tried to deliver a letter to the PRC vice premier LI Lanqing, but was blocked by the ambassador LI Daoyu. The "tank driver" LU Wenhe attempted to pass a "no-confidence" resolution on HQ. It is difficult to understand why YANG has not yet given the public an explanation so far.

(The original article was posted on Internet Social.Culture.China in Chinese. The current version is translated with minor technical editing)


INS Writes to IFCSS on CSPA Children Over Age 21


By PU Dai/CSS Today CSST 95002

In responding to many CSS' concerns on the late-arriving unmarried adult sons and daughters of CSPA beneficiaries who have passed their 21st birthday without having an immigrant visa available, Edward H. Skerrett, Chief of Immigrant Branch of INS writes to IFCSS recently addressing some issues raised by XU Yingyin, an officer of IFCSS in Washington, DC. CSS Today has acquired a copy of the letter and is enclosed in the appendix of this issue. "Basically, this letter in a way concluded our effort on the subject in the last several months", XU told CSS Today in her E-mail message, "although we did not get the ideal result we wished for." XU express her best wishes for concerned CSS.


Appendix: Text of


>From hq@ifcss.org CSST 95002

U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service HQ 245-C 425 I Street NW. Washington, DC 20536 Jan 4, 1995 Ms. Yingyin Xu Executive Director Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars 733 15th Street N.W., Suite 440 Washington, D.C. 20005

Dear Ms. Xu:

This is in response to your letter of November 3, addressed to a member of my staff. In the letter, you discuss several cases in which the derivative third-preference adjustment of status applications of late-arriving adult sons and daughters of Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 (CSPA) beneficiaries were denied. In each case, the son or daughter filed an application for adjustment of status prior to his or her twenty-first birthday; however, the applicants turned 21 before the adjustment applications could be approved. You ask whether it would be possible for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (the Service) to allow the applications to remain "pending" rather than issuing denial and voluntary departure notices.

There is no provision of law or regulation that would allow the Service to indefinitely suspend action on these adjustment of status applications. The family members discussed in your letter are applying for benefits based on the provisions of section 203(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act), which provides derivative status for the spouse or "child" of a principal alien. A "child" is defined in section 101(b)(1) of the Act as an unmarried person who is less than 21 years old. A person who is applying as a derivative following-to-join "child" of a CSPA principal must, therefore, be less than 21 years old at the time the adjustment of status application is approved. An E3-0 adjustment cannot be approved if the adjustment applicant has had his or her twenty-first birthday or is married.

Voluntary departure is authorized by section 242(b) of the Act. It provides that deportation proceedings, issuance of a warrant of arrest, and a finding of deportability are not necessary if the person agrees that he or she will depart from the United States voluntarily at his or her own expense. The regulations at 8 CFR 242 further describe the requirements for voluntary departure and delegate the authority to make determinations concerning voluntary departure requests to the district directors. Extensions of voluntary departure may also be granted at the discretion of the district directors. Since voluntary departure is a discretionary benefit, I cannot determine in advance whether any individual person would be granted an initial period or an extension. I am unaware of any plan by the Service to provide blanket voluntary departure or other extraordinary benefits to adult sons and daughters of CSPA beneficiaries.

These adult sons and daughters may, however, be eligible for other immigration benefits. A parent who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States may petition for second preference family-sponsored classification for his or her unmarried sons and daughters. This petition would be filed on Form I-130, "Petition for Alien Relative."

These adult sons and daughters may also apply for any other immigration benefit for which they qualify. A person whose application for adjustment of status has been denied is not automatically precluded from changing to another nonimmigrant status. Any person who has reason to fear persecution upon return to his or her home country and believes that he or she meets the definition of "refugee" contained in section 101(a)(42) of the Act may apply for asylum in the United States.

I do not have any statistics concerning the adjustment of following to join late-arriving family members of CSPA beneficiaries. These applications are not separately tracked; their adjustment code is the same as that given to other derivative family members who are accompanying or following to join a skilled worker.

In January 1995, adjustments of status under the third employment-based classification may be approved for persons chargeable to mainland China with priority dates earlier that July 1, 1993. Since the earliest possible CSPA priority date is July 1, 1993, no applications can be approved for late-arriving derivative CSPA family members during this month.

I apologize for the delay in responding to you and trust this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Edward H. Skerrett Chief, Immigrant Branch Adjudications


Of Intelligence and Power


By LAO Jiang CSST 95002

As a group of people with good and prolonged education, we Chinese students and scholars abroad can't help but feeling not a little proud and privileged. After all, we all have had a decent college education back in China, after edging into universities through neckbreaking toils over examinations. We all came to the U.S. and other countries for advenced studies and trainings. With justification, we are of a professional and scholarly crop, and can be termed rightly as highly intelligent. However, if you think things would go always smoothly among such a privileged group, you are in for big surprise. Oftertimes, when I talk to those who are involved in various social and political activities and other worthy causes in Chinese students community, the following exclamation is a common one: "I can't believe it's so difficult to deal with people with such a high education! I can't reason with them!" This leads to the intriguing question: Is intelligence making a better person? Does high intelligence give a person more privilege and power over his fellow men?

While back a book named "The Bell Curve" dealing with race and intelligence had stirred up quite a bit wave over the assertion that a man's racial group somewhat determines his intelligence level. Today, an interesting article appeared in local newspaper, which I deem worth of relating here: there apparently exists an organization named Mensa, whose membership consists of people with IQs in the top 2 percent of the population. How did they recruit their member your guess is as good as mine. The editor of their newsletter had recently got into hot water by voicing some highly volatile opinions. The personage in question, a certain Nikki Frey proposed that certain people who are mentally defective and can not live normally in a society, such as homeless and mentally ill people, should be "humanely dispatched." She also insinuated that Adolf Hitler was not such a bad chap after all. The killing of 6 million Jews was not as bad as "the fact that his actions prevent a rational discussion of the creation of the master race." After she refused to repudiate her point of view, she was duly kicked out of the newsletter editorial board.

The lady has just a trifle too big a mouth for keeping a steady job, but her opinion raises an intersting point in relation to the question I posted above. Homo sapiens are social animal and like all others in the animal kingdom, the hierarchy is something desirable. One always feels that he is a bit superior than others in a social setting. It is a healthy thing, I surmise, it keeps everybody a bit happier. But there is a fine line here, if one thinks that he is quite a bit smarter so he can impose his will upon others he has crossed that line. Homeless people are eyesores in big cities, and one shudders when seeing a retarded people on the street. But does one's discomfort warrant the dispatch of the source of that irritation, humanely or otherwise. We can apply that logic a bit further and see for ourselves where it leads: considering the top 0.1% in IQ, they surely feel all the other 1.9% in the Mensa outfit dull and stupid. They probably didn't care much for their company anyhow. Should this grievance be addressed by "dispatching" all the others in Mensa organization? By the newspaper's calculation, there would be only 5000 left in the U.S.

Like John Donne so elegantly put:"No man is an island." If your fellow men get hurt, you may be the next. At this point, I remember a little paragraph written by a German Protestant preacher who spent 4 years in Nazi's concentration camp:"First they came for the Jews, I didn't speak out because I was a German. Then they came for catholics, I didn't speak out because I was Protestant. Then they came for labor unionists, I didn't speak out because I was not an unionist. Then they came to get me, by then there was no one left to speak out for me." Think about it an think about the nice little proposal I reported earlier.


Brain, Biceps and Lawsuit


By Arthur Zhang CSST 95002

A few years ago a lawyer friend of mine revealed his secrete recipe for winning against his antagonists, which he quite modestly named the Zen of Domination:

If you get a bigger brain, out-smart him. If you get bigger biceps, beat up on him. If you get neither, sue him.

Since then, I began to understand that the right to sue, like the right to accuse someone a CCP spy, is a fundamental human right. It is this right that makes a democratic society an equal society for all, and it is this right that enables Paula Jones to make Bill Clinton looking like a fool.

Being a member of the IFCSS I have every reason to be proud these days. Pending lawsuits against ZHOU Hongguang and many proposed lawsuits in numerous occasions within IFCSS operations have shown the newly gained maturity on the part of several gentlemen within the IFCSS leadership. The message from Comrades LI Jinghong, LUO Lishi, XIN Ku is loud and clear: don't mess with us or we'll sue you S.O.B.

I remember about three years ago an obscure fool named George Zhu posted on SCC a parody, poking fun at the President ---- President ZHAO Haiqing of the IFCSS, that is. George got balls for sure, but perhaps he could use some brain. It might be OK to make fun of President Bush of the United States, but to make fun of President Zhao Haiqing of the IFCSS? You got to be out of your mind! If George though he could get away with it, he must be kidding himself.

Comrade GE Xun, chairman of the IFCSS Council at the time, promptly showed us why he was a leader of the IFCSS. Calling his fellow council members to be on his side, Comrade GE Xun proposed to sue George for defaming the President, using the free legal service provided to the IFCSS. Salute, Chairman. But incredulously, a bunch of idiots in the Council shot down Comrade GE Xun's proposal, and shamelessly defended their cowardice by craps ranging from "tolerance" to "First Amendment". How disgraceful! Worse yet, the IFCSS failed to cash in on its last chance for free legal services.

George Zhu was nevertheless scared to death and disappeared from the face of the earth. But just when the good guys of the IFCSS thought they could put on cruise-control, a very very bad guy named ZHOU Hongguang somehow managed to sneak into the pro-D column to create havoc. ZHOU was almost a clone of George Zhu, only to boast an ironhead. He was determined to make things rough for the good guys in the IFCSS. ZHOU waged his crusade against our good misters under the pretense of "financial inspection", which was why this whole affair was so phony. Financial inspection? This is the most laughable idea since cold fusion! Sure, there were some financial indiscretions here and there, like losing that van because someone at the IFCSS HQ forgot to claim it back after it was towed; and granted, the IFCSS financial bookkeeping was rather sloppy and wasn't quite professional. But if it ain't like having a Swiss Bank account, what was so big deal about all these? After all, other than those problems, the IFCSS accounting book looked just great.

But the good guys were not to be pushed around this time. They upheld their dignity and turned back the tide with fury. Led by Three Comrades, Comrade LI Jinghong, Comrade LUO Lishi and Comrade XIN Ku, the good guys in the IFCSS Council approved the resolution to allocated $5000 to sue ZHOU Hongguang. Bravo, good guys! The precious resource of the IFCSS couldn't have been better spent. My only reservation here is: why not spending $10000, or even a little more, on suing this bad bad guy? If some pocket changes allocated to the CBS Committee could bring us an apology from the giant CBS, think what can $10000 do to the feather-weight ZHOU Hongguang! We'll crush the bad man to pieces and intimidate all future antagonists of the good guys. And yes, we may even lure a hot-shot lawyer like Robert Shapiro away from O.J....


A Chinese Language School Opens in Oak Ridge, TN


By GU Baohua CSST 95002

A Chinese Language Class will be open on Sunday, January 15, 1995 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Chinese Language Class (CLC) Organization Committee in Oak Ridge announced today. Twenty children have already on the registration list. The textbooks and teach tapes are ready for teaching purpose.

The class will be grouped into 2 levels, and there will be two teachers for each class session. Each class session is divided into: /30min class /15 min break/ 30 min class/ 15 min break/ 30 min class. The classes include: Chinese (YU-WEN), Syllable (PING-YIN), and Rhym etc. (Sports, Painting, Story).

All teachers are volunteers. The committee requests that each parent assists at least two class sessions each semester. That includes taking care of children during the break and cleaning up after the class. Dr. JIN Yunqun volunteered to be the coordinator of the parents.

The preparation took several months and the parents feel they now have another place for meetings and sports while their children learn Chinese culture and language.


Workshop on China's Diplomacy in Honolulu


By WCPUBLIC@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU CSST 95002 /The Washington Center for China Studies

Co-sponsored by the Washington Center for China Studies and the Social Sciences Research Council (supported by the MacArthur Foundation), a research workshop will be held at East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 27-29, 1995. The workshop is the result of a research project focusing on the subject of the "Modernization of China's Diplomacy".

Modernization of diplomacy here is defined as the diplomatic efforts by a nation in conjunction with its economic take-off to fully integrate itself into the international system and to adopt its diplomatic practice to well- recognized international norms and regimes.

In recent years, China's growing economic and military might have raised concerns in the international community over the country's long-term foreign policy goals and strategies, and its role in shaping the post-Cold War international order. The sources of these concerns are manifold: the authoritarian nature of the Chinese political system, the unpredictability of the nation's future domestic development, the residual of its state socialist ideology, and the nation's idiosyncratic diplomatic traditions and rising nationalist tide.

While these factors continue to be important in shaping China's foreign policy, it is equally important to note that the domestic and international foundations for China's diplomacy have drastically changed. Among other things, the nation's market-oriented economic reform demands a foreign policy that is very different from the traditional "revolutionary diplomacy" or even the "realpolitik" one; China's process of oneness has also led the nation to an unprecedented exposure to foreign contact and foreign influence that often place its diplomacy under a much closer international scrutiny and world public opinion; the demise of the Soviet empire has undercut China's traditional role as a power broker in the "strategic triangle"; and finally, a gradual generational change has been taking place in China's political leadership as well as diplomatic corps.

As a function of these fundamentally altered domestic and external conditions, China's diplomacy has been in a process of transformation. Yet, what are the nature and dynamics of this change? And what would be the likelihood of China's attitude and behavior toward the outside world in the years ahead? This research project will try to answer these questions by examining the following three sets of analytical questions: (1) What are the driving forces behind China's diplomatic modernization? For instance, how does the interaction between internal and external factors affect the direction of China's diplomacy? (2) What are the potential and limits for China to "upgrade" its diplomacy? This may involve the function of cultural idiosyncrasy, official ideology, and the rising nationalism in the process of modernization; and (3) Who are the movers and doers behind the recent changes? As the process of agenda-setting, decision-making, and policy implementation of Chinese foreign policy becomes more complicated and fragmented, it is critical to identify the major players involved and their influence on the modernization dynamics.

This project will address the above-defined questions mainly by undertaking selective case studies of China's diplomatic practice since 1989. They include China's "damage-control' diplomacy toward the United States since 1989 event, China's responses to the collapse of the Soviet Union and other state socialist regimes, China's normalization of relations with Vietnam and its "good neighbor" policy, China's maneuvers in North Korean nuclear crisis, China's policy on arms control, China's diplomacy on Hong Kong, Beijing's dealing with the South China Sea territorial dispute, China's attitudes toward human rights regimes, China's performance in the United Nations, China's diplomatic efforts to join the GATT, and China's environmental diplomacy. These cases cover a wide range of issue areas that stand at the core of the modernization of China's diplomacy. Some of the issues are old, such as China's "good neighbor" policy and the interaction between Beijing and Washington, but were given new impetus or faced with new twists. Some of them are new issues, such as those on the environment and human rights, which used to be on the back burner but are now a "fixture" in any major power's diplomacy. Still other issues are economic in nature (for instance, joining GATT) but have increasingly cut into the heart of the country's national interests. Finally, some cases involve China's "domestic affairs" (for example, its Hong Kong policy) but could produce serious consequences for regional security and stability.


A Better Format for Those Who Wish to Cite Your Publication


By Mark B. Griffith CSST 95002

As an interested China 'observer' I find your publication very insightful and informative. I often 'clip' things out of the various electronic newsletters and magazines I receive for research purposes. One thing that I think is important for citation purposes is that with each piece you include the name of your newsletter 'CSS Today' as well as the date. This will provide I think a better format for those who wish to cite items published by your newsletter.


IFCSS HQ Work Review: December, 1994


By YANG Jie/IFCSS CSST 95002

--Dec.1, Executive Director XU Yingyin has a conversation on the phone with Rita Boie of the INS Adjudication Division, who listened sympathetically to the problems encountered by some LAD of CSPA principals and who answered many questions raised on their behalf.

--Dec.2, XU Yingyin submitted a proposal to NED for continuous funding of IFCSS Newsletter in Chinese.

--Dec.5, President LUO Ning presided a HQ staff meeting during which past projects were reviewed and new agenda were made.

--Dec.6, XU Yingyin and office manager YANG Jie went to IGS for a half-day lecture on IFCSS 1995 insurance plan.

--Dec.7, LUO Ning met with Gene Bloblaum from Miller and Newbery, Inc. and Bill Hartman of Searbry and Smith, Inc. exploring the possibility of developing an insurance plan for non-student members of IFCSS.

--Dec.9, LUO Ning wrote a letter of congratulation to Mr. ZHANG Pei, organizer of the Memorial Seminar at Los Angeles in commemoration of Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese during the World War II.

--Dec. 10-11, LU Chengdong, chair of the task force on archive, arrived at HQ to collect documents for IFCSS data archive. LUO Ning and XU Yingyin were with him during this working weekend.

--Dec. 12, XU Yingyin attended a seminar on Human Rights:Asian Perspective at Smithonian Institute.

--Dec. 13, HQ sent out copies of 6th term's first issue of IFCSS Chinese Newsletter.

--Dec. 14, LUO Ning had a working dinner with staff of DaTongMeng.

--Dec. 15, LUO Ning attended a press release at Freedom House on global democracies.

--Dec. 16, XU Yingyin worked on finalizing the package for newcomers.

--Dec.17, YANG Jie distributed and promoted IFCSS Newsletter(in Chinese) and IFCSS 1995 health plan at a Dance and Karaoke party at George Mason University. He also met with other local Chinese students leaders from George Washington University, American University, Gerogetown University and University of Maryland at College Park.

--Dec. 20, LUO Ning and XU Yingyin attended a holiday party at NED.

--Dec. 21, LUO Ning and XU Yingyin met with IGS President and Vice President Jerry Hopkins and John Pascoe.

--Dec. 22, HQ sent out a package of greeting cards to US senators and others who have working relationship with IFCSS.

--Dec. 25. LUO Ning held a Christmas Party in his home. Several CSS leaders from local campuses as well as WANG Juntao from China Institute and WU Fang from CND were among those who attended,

--Dec. 27, HQ processed another package of refunds of 1994 insurance plan.

--Dec. 28. LUO Ning had a working lunch with Edward Gresser, assistant to Senator Baucus.


The Wit of Winston Churchill


By WANG Yang CSST 95002

o o o o

The first women in the British House of Commons was the American-born Lady Astor. One time, after a nasty skirmish with Winston Churchill, she said, "Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your coffee." And Churchill shot back, "If you were my wife, I'd be glad to drink it."

o o o o

The session of the House of Commons had dragged on and on. One of Churchill's opponents was delivering a long and boring speech. Churchill listened for a while, then slid down his seat and closed his eyes. The speaker noticed him dozing off and said in a loud voice, "MUST you fall asleep when I am speaking, Mr. Churchill?" Churchill didn't move or open his eyes. But he did speak. "No," he said, "It's purely voluntary."

o o o o

One time, Bessie Braddock of House of Commons shouted at Winston Churchill, "Winston, you are drunk!" Churchill shouted back: "Bessie, you are ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober."

o o o o

A reporter asked Churchill whether he had any plans to retire. Churchill replied, "Not until I am a great deal worse and the Empire a great deal better."

o o o o

[Quotations]

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change his subject.

Political ability is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterward to explain why it didn't happen.

Odd things animals. All dog look up to you. All cats look down to you. Only a pig looks at you as an equal.

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it would eat him last.

Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

(General Montgomery is) In defeat unbeatable; in victory unbearable.


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